400-pound tire lands on car roof, killing driver

$5 million settlement

A wooden pallet holding a cargo of commercial tires aboard a moving transport vehicle broke, causing the holding strap to loosen and releasing a 400-pound tire into highway traffic. The tire bounced over the median strip and struck the roof of a car. The driver was knocked unconscious due to massive head injuries and died shortly thereafter. He left a wife, who was pregnant with their first child.